Lessons We Could Learn From Conor

This months ‘Lessons We Can Learn From…’ post is celebrating the release of A Monster Calls in cinemas. The novel penned by Patrick Ness, has been a huge success, resulting in numerous awards, reprints, book club editions and now a screen version so that everyone can enjoy this wonderfully fantastic story.

Conor is the main character from A Monster Calls. He is a young boy who is dealing with his mothers terminal illness the best he can. He is somewhat shy and quiet, not many friends or family and the family he has he doesn’t particularly like. He is visited on evenings by a monster. A monster who teaches him lessons and tells him stories, seemingly helping his mother to get better. However Conor learns that not everything can be fixed.

I love Conor’s character, his optimism and drive, is curiosity and strength. He’s a wonderful young man and there are many thing’s i’ve learnt from this novel and this character. Here are my top five:

1. Love the ones around you, deeply and regretfully – Spend as much time as you possibly can with the people you love. Cherish them and make them aware of your love.
2. Not everything is as it seems – Conor assumes that the monster is there to help his mother, and as she is dealthy ill, everyone would assume that. But Conor does not realise that he also needs help, and stability. Think about the situation you’re in and if there is another possibility for the reason of what is happening around you.
3. Be brave and be strong – this is the most important thing i’ve learned from A Monster Calls. Conor is one of the most brave and strong characters i’ve ever come across. He deals with a huge amount at such a young age, i feel as though everyone could learn from Conor’s strength.
4. It’s okay to be flawed and confused – Conor is a hugely flawed character. Flaws aren’t something that is often discussed in novels with younger people, however he is a thirteen year old boy. Of course he’s going to have some flaws! He’s confused about what is happening around him and that is okay, there will always be someone to help you figure out what is going on.
5. Never be afraid to ask for help – Conor asked for the help of The Monster, he knows when he needed help and called for the help he needed. It’s not shameful to ask for help, and this is definitely something we can learn from Conor.

I absolutely adored Patrick Ness’ version of this story, especially when it is told with Jim Kay’s illustrations alongside. I cannot wait to see how they translate the story on to screen. Who else is going to see the new movie?